F 124 
.G79 
Copy 1 



NEW YORK. 




^^^f^^l^^^lh^^^ 



PHILADELPHIA : 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 
1891. 



'I 



NEW YORK. 




\ ->vw._x ^ 



n: 



^ 



-a.-sv-.- 




^ 1^ 2- vV 



PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPAJSY. 

1891. 



VteK- 



Copyright, 1891, by J. B. Ltppincott Company. 



I ISTEREOTYPEBSancFRINTERSI II 



F 1-2 y 



NEW YORK. 



New York, the * empire state' of the American 
Union, is the twenty-fifth in area and the first in popu- 
lation. It h'es between 45° and 40° 29' 40" N. lat, 
and (including Long Island) between 71° 51' and 79° 
47' 25" W. long. It is somewhat triangular in shape, 
and has a very irregular outline. Its boundary line 
measures 1420 miles, of which 879 miles, or nearly 
two-thirds of the entire length, lie along the shores of 
Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, the St 
Lawrence River, and Lake Champlain. The remain- 
ing portions of the boundary are formed by arbitrary 
straight lines. Area, 49,170 sq. m., or almost that of 
England. Long Island is the largest, and Manhattan, 
containing the most populous part of New York City, 
the most important of the many islands. 

The surface structure of New York is remarkably 
diversified, and presents many contrasts of elevation. 
The state is traversed by numerous chains of moun- 
tains and hills, among which lie beautiful valleys. 
There is also much rolling land, and there are several 
extensive plains. The greatest elevations are in the 
eastern and north-eastern parts of the state, but nearly 



A NEW YORK. 

the whole of the south-eastern part is hilly or moun- 
tainous. From this highland region the land slopes 
gradually, and declines in a series of terraces, north 
and west toward Lake Ontario. The most level 
portions are those bordering that lake and the St 
Lawrence River. The mountainous region in the 
east is cut by the gap of the Mohawk River. The 
narrow valley of this stream, once traversed by a 
mighty river which drained the great Ontario basin, 
joins at right angles the deep depression in which are 
Lake Champlain, Lake George, and the Hudson 
River. Both of these valleys pass directly through 
the Appalachian system of mountains, and divide the 
state into three distinct sections. The mountains are 
also disposed in three groups. The Adirondacks 
(highest point, Mount Marcy, 5400 feet), in the north- 
eastern part of the state, are completely isolated by 
the valleys of Lake Champlain and the Mohawk 
River from all other parts of the Appalachian system. 
South of the Mohawk valley are the Catskills with 
various associated groups, such as the Helderberg and 
the Shawangunk Mountains, covering an area of 
about 500 sq. m. The Shawangunk Mountains are 
continuous with the Blue or Kittatinny Mountains of 
Pennsylvania. The Taconic range of New England 
enters the state still farther south, and passes south- 
westerly into New Jersey. This range is cut by the 
Hudson River, and forms the celebrated Highlands. 

The geology of New York is peculiarly interesting 
and comprehensive. With the exception of the 
Jurassic formations and a few others closely related in 
time with the Jura-Trias, its rocks exhibit deposits of 



NEW YORK. 



5 



nearly every period, from the primitive Archaean rocks 
to the Tertiary and recent alluvium. Briefly and super- 
ficially classified, the outcropping rocks are disposed 
as follows : In the north-eastern part of the state, with 
the Adirondacks as a centre, is a somewhat circular 
area of Archaean formation. Along the eastern side 
of the Hudson River and near its mouth, the Archaean 
rocks again appear, and are continuous with the primi- 
tive formations of New England. Nearly surrounding 
the Adirondack region is a belt of Silurian rocks, 
which extends southward along the western shore of 
the Hudson, and westward, bordering upon Lake 
Ontario and Lake Erie. North of the Adirondacks 
is a belt of Cambrian rocks, and south and west of the 
Silurian belt the greater part of the formation belongs 
to the Devonian age, with traces of Carboniferous 
deposits, but no true coal-measures. There are in 
the state some extensive iron-mines, deposits of lead, 
copper, zinc, and other valuable minerals, and an 
abundance of building-stones. The salt-springs, es- 
pecially those of the Onondaga salt group, are of great 
value. There are also valuable petroleum springs, 
and mineral and medicinal springs — the most noted 
are those at Saratoga, Ballston, Sharon, Richfield, 
Avon, and New Lebanon. 

The most important river belonging entirely to the 
state is the Hudson (q.v.). The Oswego, draining a 
chain of lakes in the central part of the state, the 
Black, and the Genesee are affluents of Lake Ontario; 
the St Lawrence forms part of the northern boundary; 
the Niagara connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, and 
thj Delaware, the Susquehanna, and the Allegany 



5 NEW YORK. 

rise within and drain the southern portions of the 
state. 

New York lies mainly in the lake region of North 
America. The eastern part of Lake Erie, one-half of 
Lake Ontario, and one-half of Lake Champlain are 
controlled by the state. Among the numerous lakes 
of north-eastern New York, Lake George and the 
Adirondack lakes are the most noted. There are 
three groups of picturesque lakes in central New 
York. The mountains, rivers, and lakes of New York 
make it famous for its scenery. Of this, one of the 
most notable features is the number of waterfalls, 
among which the mighty Niagara is of course pre- 
eminent. Other beautiful falls are the Falls of the 
Genesee (q.v.), Trenton Falls, the Kaaterskill Falls in 
the Catskills, and those of Cohoes, Ticonderoga, and 
at Watkins Glen. 

The average temperature of New York is about 
47° F., with a range of over ioo°. The climate is 
thus subject to extremes, but is very healthful. Al- 
though the surface is so diversified, most of the soil 
is arable, and much of it is fertile. More than one- 
half the area of the state is under cultivation. The 
usual farm products are raised in abundance. In the 
lake valleys there are many vineyards. Hops and 
tobacco are also important crops. In the vicinity of 
New York and the other large cities market-gardening 
is a profitable occupation, and the highland regions 
yield excellent milk, butter, and cheese. But manu- 
facturing is the leading industry, and in the value of 
its manufactured products New York is the foremost 
state of the Union. Moreover, its geographical po- 



NEW YORK. y 

sition and its natural avenues of communication with 
other parts of the country, together with the system 
of canals and railroads, make it the leading com- 
mercial state. There are several canals, of which the 
Erie (see Canal) is the most important. New York 
is the centre towards which nearly all the great rail- 
roads of the country tend, and within the state there 
are nearly 7800 miles of railway. 

Previous to the coming of the whites the territory 
now known as New York was occupied by the 
Iroquois (q.v.) Indians. Almost simultaneously, in 
1609, Samuel Champlain discovered the lake which 
bears his name, and Henry Hudson explored the 
Hudson River as far as the present site of Albany. A 
few years later settlements were made by the Dutch, 
but they were looked upon as intruders by the English, 
who in 1664 forced them to surrender their city of 
New Amsterdam, which had grown up on Manhattan 
Island. The name was then changed to New York, 
and, with the exception of a short period in 1673, the 
city remained in the possession of the English till the 
war of the revolution. As in the other colonies, the 
early settlers endured many vicissitudes, and were at 
different times engaged in conflicts with the Indians. 
In the struggle for independence, in the war of 18 12, 
and in the civil war New York played a prominent 
part. The physical structure of the state has made it 
a most important factor in the development of the 
nation, and in population, wealth, and political in- 
fluence it has always held the pre-eminence. 

With her great material prosperity New York has 
not neglected the education of her people. There is 



8 NEW YORK. 

no more complete school system in the country. It 
includes more than 11,000 school districts. There 
are eisfht normal schools in the state, and the normal 
college at New York City, beside many private 
schools and academies; and there are nearly thirty 
colleges, universities, and schools of higher learning, 
not including theological seminaries and professional 
schools. 

Politically the state is divided into sixty counties ; 
it returns the largest number (34) of members to 
congress. No other state has so many large cities 
and thriving, enterprising towns. New York City is 
the centre of a thickly populated district, which is 
second only to London in the number of its people 
and the importance of its commercial interests. The 
other most important cities are Albany (the capital), 
Brooklyn, Buffalo, Rochester, Troy, Syracuse, Utica, 
Oswego, Kingston, Elmira, Poughkeepsie, Auburn, 
Cohoes, Newburgh, Yonkers, Long Island City, Bing- 
hamton, Schenectady, Lockport, Rome, Ogdensburg, 
Watertown, Hudson, and Dunkirk. Pop. (1800) 
589,051; (1850) 3,097.394; (»88o) 5,082,871; (1890) 
5.981.934- 



niS^ °^ CONGRESS 

PHI 

014 107 788 "''' % 



